Perennial sweet peas

[sparrow100]

I have 21 perennial sweet pea (tingitanus roseus) seedlings - which I am very chuffed about as the pack of 22 seeds was sow-by June 2015...BUT:

Nowhere on the pack or online can I find how many to plant out - spacing/clumping etc. I read they can be thuggish so I am guessing that you don't plant as closely as annual sweet peas...

I was planning to stick some in the mostly blackthorn hedge along my plot, along with 3 dwarf buddleias but I have no clue how many is best.

Any tips?

[Martin H]

Don't plant too close. Once they get established, each one will send up multiple stems and clamber through a good-sized shrub.

The plants are quite tough and seem to like good drainage, you quite often see them self-seeded along railway embankments down south.

I like them, it's just a shame that they have no scent!

[Martin H]

Hmm. In my last post I was describing the perennial sweet pea, latifolia. Tingitanus is apparently an annual and I've never grown it. So if you are really growing tingitanus "Rosea", ignore me.

[sparrow100]

I am growing Lathyrus odoratus Tingitanus Roseus (as per pack) but it states that it's a slightly scented perennial.

The leaves are nothing like the annual sweet peas I have either.

The link to the seeds is: Sweet Pea Seeds - Tingitanus Roseus - Sweet Pea Seeds - Popular Flower Seeds - Flower Seeds - Gardening

Am now confused!

[Martin H]

Interesting. A couple of other suppliers describe it as an annual:

Lathyrus tingitanus 'Rosea' - Hardy Annual Seeds - Thompson & Morgan
Lathyrus tingitanus roseus

also

Lathyrus tingitanus - the Tangier Pea

Looks pretty, but I think we need someone who's grown it to wade in...

[roitelet]

An invasive thug!!!!! No scent worth speaking of and self seeds all over the place and only pink or white. I wouldn't give it garden room.

[Teabag]

Have just sown everlasting sweetpeas (from wilko) I've just plonked about 12 seeds in a six 4" inch pots.. says on packet transplant 18inch apart in flowering position flowers will appear following year. But nowhere does it say what actual perennial sweet pea they are

[sparrow100]

Am not sure which of us is in the better position Teabag!

I'm going to stick most of mine in the blackthorn hedge to ramble through. If they are thugs, blackthorn is also a right bully so they can learn to play together. In case it's not, I can plant some around the shed.

[Thelma Sanders]

Sparrow, I'd email your supplier and ask them to clarify, considering all other suppliers say it's an annual

[sparrow100]

Thanks, already done. Looking forward to an answer from Suttons.

[Zelenina]

Looks to me as if Suttons are confused, not you sparrow. Lathyrus tingitanus is a different species from Lathyrus odoratus, not a subspecies or variety of it which they make it appear to be on their webpage. Rosea could be a subspecies or variety name. And it is an annual.

Sure, it should look pretty in your hedge anyway T&M say it climbs up to 6ft and should be planted 23-30cm (9-12in) apart.

The perennial or everlasting sweet pea is another species again, Lathyrus latifolius. That's probably what you've got, Teabag. And I have some seeds of it stashed away somewhere, from my dad's garden, but they might be even older than sparrow's ones.

Here's the Wikipedia page for all the lathyrus species, including those two. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathyrus

[sparrow100]

Well I had the reply from Suttons, who are insisting it's a perennial. Back to banging my head against a wall...

Thank you for your email.

The everlasting sweet pea is a perennial plant. You can sow either directly where you want to grow them or start the seed off in 4" pots. You can grow them in a group or individual, it is up to you what kind of look you want to achieve. If you are to grow them up a pergola or trellis you might want to grow them in a clump but if you want to cover a fence or wall then you could plant them in a row.

The plants will start flowering from the second year onwards. They do not have tendrils for climbing and should be supported and tied in as they grow up. In the autumn the plants die back and re-emerge later in the spring.

I hope this is helpful to you.